Cyanodifluorosulfonium ion: an efficient reagent for the deoxyfluorination of cinnamic acids into vinyl acyl fluoride intermediates

Abstract

The combination of Selectfluor and KSCN clearly generates a cyanodifluorosulfonium ion, which presumably acts as an efficient deoxyfluorinating reagent for cinnamic acids. The reaction proceeds via the in situ generation of vinyl acyl fluoride intermediates, which undergo nucleophilic acyl substitution to access α,β-unsaturated esters and amides.